Now CEO of Redfin, an online real estate brokerage, Kelman was a teenager elbow-deep in hot water and hamburger grease — and falling hopelessly behind after a co-worker quit.

In a recent LinkedIn (LNKD) post, Kelman saluted the demanding short-order cook who yelled "Attack! Attack!" and pushed him to scrub plates like an animal.

Then a chess team captain and contemplative type, Kelman realized he needed the kick in the pants.

"Sooner or later, you have to find your inner beast," he told IBD. "I think I just needed to get tougher and figure out how to be pragmatic and solve problems."

His take-aways? When all hell breaks loose, take a minute to make your environment organized and productive. Now Kelman values speed in every task. "I've never lost my sense of gratitude," he said. "I never forget that somebody's busting their hump back there."

 Shows go on. A gig at Walt Disney World (DIS) in Orlando, Fla., entertaining throngs of visitors fit like a glove for singer/dancer Joey Fatone of boy band 'N Sync fame.

"Disney taught me about discipline, respect and focus on a job," Fatone said. "And during the summer it was hot, hot, hot."

 Think forward. Snowbound Software CEO Simon Wieczner was a college student in 1972, working for the police department in Cambridge, Mass., painstakingly recording the city's streets and individual addresses. "At the time, the project was not considered particularly strategic," he said. Some officers even ridiculed the office work.

"Fast-forward a few decades, however, and I doubt anyone could argue against the benefits computerized mapping brings to law enforcement," Wieczner said.

The experience taught him not to dismiss an idea just because its time hasn't come.

After co-founding Snowbound Software in 1996, Wieczner applied forward thinking to pricing for his document-viewing technology. Back then most software firms charged clients a flat rate.

"We were among the first to utilize distribution licensing," he said. This let customers start small and pay more as their usage increased. "As they grew, our revenue grew."

See Also

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03/30/2015 06:40 PM ET

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